ABORIGINAL WORKSHOPS — ETIIERIDCK AND WIIITKLEGGE. 247 



illustrated and in every case the '' death "-spear is depicted in the 

 hands of the aborigines. The majorit}', judging from the figures, 

 are barbed on one side only, but many are armed on both edges. ^'' 

 The '' Saturday Magazine " contains some account and a figure of 

 one of these barbed spears. The writer signs his " Sketches of 

 New South Wales " — W.R.G. [Survej'or Govett]. His description 

 of the spear under notice is as follows: — "Their spears are 

 generally from ten to twelve feet in length, frequently longer ; 

 some consist of one, others of two, and the longest of three 

 distinct pieces, wliich are chiefly made of 'iron-bark' wood. In 

 the longest the centre bits are made of the grass tree, wiiich 

 grows like a tall straight reed, and seems very well suited for the 

 purpose of a spear. Some spears are hooked and jagged, and 

 since the nati\es ha\e become accjuainted with glass, they have 

 taken advantage of that material, by cementing the broken sjiarp 

 splints of it, which are made to jut out from the top of the siiear 

 like the points of lancets, as a suljstitute for their connnon wav 

 of jagging." 



An excellent figure (fig. -1:3) of the "death ""-spear 

 is given by Brough Smyth. ^" He states that "the 

 Momi'de, a double-barbed spear, is one with which 

 cruel wounds are inflicted. If it strikes a black fairly, 

 it W'ill enter cjuite up to the lower barb, anfl it can be 

 extracted only by cutting open the wound anfl (h-awing 

 it through. ... A liai'd and tough wood is used 

 for making spears of this kind. With a piece of 

 ([uartz the native cuts a groove on each side of the 

 upper end, and he inserts therein small chips of hard 

 l)lack basalt, or chips of some other suitable stone, and 

 these chips are fastened in their place by Fid-iipr-ony, 

 a gum resembling pitch."' Brough Smyth also figures'-" 

 individual chips of black basalt used for this purpose. 



The following includes a few further references to 

 this spear. The Re\-. G. Taplin'^^ states that " they ( 

 make their weapons of the hard wood which grows in 

 the country. Heavy spears generally come from the 

 Upper Murray natives, and are highly valued. They 

 are made of the hai'd and elastic miall wood, and aie 



" Collins- Account of tlie English Colonv of N. S. Wales, 1804, ji. 455 



pis. 1-7., pai'ticularly pi. 4 (pp. 367-74) 

 1** Gro\eit~ Saturday Magazine, 4tli June, 1836 (Xo. 252), p. 217, and 1.5tli 



Oct., 1836 (No. 275), p. 156, fig. 

 '•' I'rough Suivth — Aborigines of Victoria, i., 1878, p. 304, f. 68. 

 '■» Brough Smyth- -iof. cit., p. 380, figs. 202-7. 

 -' Taplin Native tribes of S. Australia, 1879, p. 40. 



